.NET User Groups - INETA

Orlando, FL - October 27, 2002 - The International .NET Association (INETA), a global organization of Microsoft .NET user groups, announced it recently passed the milestone of more than tripling its membership in its six months of existence, and is announcing the INETA Speakers Bureau program to support this growing community.

Since its formation just 6 months ago, membership in INETA has grown from 40 user groups to over 170 today, representing a thriving community of more than 61,000 developers and IT professionals worldwide. The Speakers Bureau, a new service which helps bring big names in the community to local user groups, is being launched to help these groups continue to grow and develop.

The past 6 months have been an amazing period of growth for INETA, with user groups from around the world joining to share ideas and build community,ll says Bill Evjen, INETA executive director and a leader of the St. Louis .NET User
Group. "The launch of the Speakers Bureau is an exciting new development which connects two core parts of the .NET community and will help to continue the growth of .NET user groups."

The INETA Speakers Bureau is an innovative program that connects influential .NET book authors, trainers, columnists, and speakers with local .NET user groups. A benefit for member groups, the program exposes local developers and professionals to technical presentations from speakers they otherwise might
not be able to see in person, while giving the speakers an exciting opportunity to interact and engage in small group presentations. The program is being launched initially within the United States, with planning in progress for variations of it to
serve .NET communities outside the US in the future.

The Speakers Bureau currently consists of 20 speakers, including such industry luminaries as David Chappell and Jeffrey Richter. In recent weeks, INETA speakers visited over 10 user groups nationwide, including a three user group super-meeting at Microsoft™s campus. INETA plans to send speakers to more than
50 user group events nationwide over the next few months.

Other services offered by INETA to member .NET user groups include online forums for peer interaction among user group leaders, best practices and useful meeting content, monthly e-newsletters, and semi-annual gatherings at major industry conferences, such as the ASP .NET Connections conference where 50 user groups will be represented to help drive the association forward.

About the International .NET Association
The International .NET Association (INETA) provides structured, peer-based organizational, educational, and promotional support to the growing worldwide community of Microsoft® .NET user groups. An independent organization sponsored in part by Microsoft, INETA was formed to further promote all aspects of .NET and support local community groups around the globe.

INETA welcomes as members all facets of the .NET user community, from groups supporting developers and architects to those involving project managers and IT professionals. Find out more about INETA at http://www.ineta.org.